Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Rohingya: Refugees

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to Filippo Grandi, the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees, concerning the UNHCR's position on the case for the Rohingya to return home.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any forced repatriations of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar, and whether that assessment takes account of any similar repatriation in 1978.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that organisations funded in part by the UK, such as UNHCR, are establishing and implementing a system of monitoring and, where necessary, protecting returning refugees to Myanmar; and what lessons they have drawn from the repatriation of refugees between 1992 and 1996.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the security implications of reports that the UNHCR and the World FoodProgramme removed UN insignia from UN boats that were used to transport Myanmar junta officials to Bangladesh as part of a pilot scheme that may see Rohingya refugees forcibly repatriated from Bangladesh to Myanmar.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK continues to raise with the Government of Bangladesh the need for returns of Rohingya to Myanmar to be safe, voluntary and dignified, when conditions there allow.The UK also frequently makes representations to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) about their role in the repatriations process, and works closely with them to support their remit of monitoring and assessing voluntariness of returns on both sides of the border. UNHCR are clear that conditions in Myanmar's Rakhine State are currently not conducive for repatriations. Donors have collectively raised concerns regarding UNHCR and the World Food Programme (WFP) in Myanmar providing transport to the junta. Our Permanent Representative to the UK Mission in in Geneva raised it with UNHCR HQ. We do not support UNHCR and WFPs actions, and are monitoring the situation closely.In August 2022 the UK announced its intention to intervene in the International Court of Justice case regarding Myanmar's acts against the Rohingya. In December 2022 the UN Security Council passed a UK-led resolution on the Myanmar situation, the first in 74 years. We will continue to use our platform in international fora to improve the conditions in Myanmar, and support the Rohingya's safe, voluntary and dignified return to their homeland.

Bahrain: Prisoners

Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Bahrain concerning the human rights implications of the new requirements for (1) Sheikh Abdul Jalil Al-Miqdad, and (2) Abdulwahab Husain, who are currently imprisoned in Bahrain, to wear handcuffs when attending medical appointments despite their physical infirmity; and whether they have made representations to the government to secure their release.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The FCDO follows matters that relate to human rights within Bahrain closely, including some individual cases. UK Ministers and senior officials regularly raise sensitive issues. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, discussed a range of human rights issues during his visit to Bahrain on 12 February. We encourage those with issues to raise them directly with the appropriate Bahraini independent oversight body.

Naji Fateel

Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention documentOpinions adopted by the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention at its ninety-fifth session, 14–18 November 2022, published on 15 March, regarding the case of Naji Fateel, who is currently imprisoned in Bahrain; and what representations they have made to the government of Bahrain to secure his release.

Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Bahrain concerning of reports that Naji Fateel, who is currently imprisoned in Bahrain, has been subjected to medical negligence at Jau Prison.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK draws on a wide range of sources when assessing human rights issues in Bahrain and regularly raises individual cases with the Government of Bahrain at senior levels. We encourage those with issues to raise them directly with the appropriate Bahraini independent oversight body. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, discussed a range of human rights issues during his visit to Bahrain on 12 February.

Saudi Arabia: Prisoners

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia concerning the judicial treatment of Salma al Shehab and Noura al Qahtani; and concerning their treatment, and the treatment of other women, in Saudi prisons.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have raised the continued detention of individuals for expressing their political views, including women and women's rights defenders, with the Saudi government. The FCDO is monitoring the cases of Salma al-Shehab and Noura al-Qahtani. I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon] I most recently raised their cases with the President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission on 11 April. We will continue to raise human rights issues, including individual cases, with the Saudi authorities.

Afghanistan: Women

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are engaging the International Criminal Court (ICC) in relation to the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan; and what representationsthey have made to the ICC since its decision to authorise its prosecutor to commence an investigation in relation to Afghanistan.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Whilst we welcome the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation, the UK respects the independence of the ICC and the office of the Prosecutor and does not attempt to influence its deliberations and decision-making on open investigations.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Medical Treatments

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government what provision is being made for immunocompromised people who are struggling financially from the financial impact of theCOVID-19 pandemic and its ongoing challenges for those still vulnerable to the virus; and how they will support those affected in the light of their prescription waiver on anti-viral drugs being withdrawn

Lord Markham: Treatments for COVID-19 are available free of charge on the National Health Service in England for eligible high-risk patients with a positive COVID-19 test result. In addition, the charge waiver will continue to apply to therapeutic treatments made available through the HEAL-COVID and STIMULATE-ICP trials.There are also a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place, covering children, pregnant women, those over 60 years old, people on certain income related benefits or whose partner is in receipt of those benefits as well as those with specific medical conditions. Around 89% of prescription items are free on the NHS in England. On top of that, people on a low income can apply for support through the NHS Low Income Scheme, and all patients can also buy a pre-payment certificate which covers all the items they need for just over £2 per week.

Prisons: Health Services

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made in recent years with regard to implementingthe principle of equivalence of healthcare received by prisoners with that received by the general public; and in particular, what steps they have taken to reduce the turnover of health personnel in prisons, thus reducing the need for agency personnel.

Lord Markham: NHS England has a mandated responsibility to support the equivalence of healthcare across the detained estate. Since 2013, a number of measures have been introduced to ensure this equivalence. This includes people in contact with the justice system being a part of the CORE20+5 initiative to reduce health inequalities, as well as identifying areas for service improvement across the detained estate.In 2020, NHS England and the Ministry of Justice introduced the Inclusive Workforce Programme, which has been designed to support regional commissioners with recruitment and retention across the health and justice workforce. This included a national benchmarking exercise to ensure that actions taken by the regions and services are informed by data and included the development of career and competence frameworks for all roles within prison healthcare, including online courses introducing people to the career options available in this setting.The Inclusive Workforce Programme has recently undertaken a range of online events to promote and help address a range of recruitment and retention issues. There is also currently a marketing campaign being developed, under the larger ‘We are the NHS’ recruitment campaign, targeting student nurses to encourage them into prison healthcare services. There is ongoing work by Health and Justice commissioners to support retention of staff with all providers as well as market engagement to generate quality provider and staff capacity across England.

Coronavirus: Death

Lord Dobbs: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total number of deaths in theUK to date attributed to COVID-19.

Lord Markham: The Government records deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the following ways: deaths that have COVID-19 recorded on their death certificate/registration; and any death that occurs 28 days after a positive COVID-19 test. As of 24 March, 223,396 deaths in the United Kingdom have had COVID-19 recorded on death certificates/registrations. As of 17 April, 213,637 deaths have been recorded in the UK 28 days after a positive COVID-19 test. These two measures serve different purposes. Death registrations are a reference for overall death toll from COVID-19 (along with excess mortality estimates) and the 28-day death measure is most useful as a rapid indicator of death following COVID-19 infection, with peak utility when a new variant emerges, or during a new wave which requires timely monitoring of severity for public health purposes.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Dobbs: To ask His Majesty's Government what has been the total cost to date of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Lord Markham: The total cost to date of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is approximately £7.3 billion.

Department for Transport

Electric Vehicles: Pedestrian Areas

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they have published or plan to publish for pedestrians for situations when they may encounter e-scooters and electric hire bicycles illegally left on pavements.

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they support the use of e-scooters in public spaces; what assessment they have made of the risk of death or injury caused by e-scooters; and how much weight they give thatrisk in developing their policy in relation to e-scooters.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department has published guidance for local authorities and e-scooter operators on the conduct of e-scooter trials. This makes clear that there will need to be sufficient parking provision in trial areas. Where a dockless operating model is being used, local authorities should ensure that e-scooters do not become obstructive to other road users and pedestrians, particularly those with disabilities. Pedestrians have the right to use the footway without undue hazards. Rule 70 of The Highway Code advises, but does not require, people to park their cycles where they will not cause an obstruction or hazard to other road users.The Department supports the use of trial e-scooters in public spaces. To identify trends in the numbers of injuries because of e-scooter use, it is using STATS19 data and working directly with some NHS Trusts. The Department also collects evidence on rental e-scooter casualties, including the type and severity of injuries, through A comprehensive monitoring and evaluation programme. Finally, the Department assesses e-scooter trials, international experience and further research to improve safety and inform policy development.

Ministry of Defence

Ukraine: Ammunition

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend significantly toincrease production of 155mm howitzer shells to assist Ukraine; and if so, what steps they are taking to do so.

Baroness Goldie: The Department is considering options to increase 155mm ammunition production, in response to emerging lessons from the conflict in Ukraine as well as the prior granting-in-kind of a proportion of the UK stockpile to Ukraine. No decision has been taken on whether to allocate any of this production increase to Ukraine.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Energy: Standing Charges

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government whataction they are taking to review and limit the increase to the standing charge on energy household bills.

Lord Callanan: The energy price cap sets a limit on unit rates and standing charges, ensuring that millions of households pay a fair price for their energy. The standing charge reflects the on-going costs that fall on a supplier to provide and maintain a live supply to a customer’s premises. Ofgem is responsible for setting the price cap and remain the sole decision-maker over how it is calculated.

Environment Protection: Technology

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support companies investing in green technologies.

Lord Callanan: The Government’s Powering Up Britain Plan published last month sets out Government policies, backed by billions of pounds of Government funding, to support companies investing in green technologies. These included announcements such as £240m of funding for the Net Zero Hydrogen Fund, committing £160m for the Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme, £30 million provided through the Heat Pump Investment Accelerator, and up to £20 billion to support the early development of CCUS. The Spring Budget 2023 introduced the joint most generous capital allowance regime in the OECD and a higher rate of R&D Expenditure Credit.

Cabinet Office

Emergencies: Mobile Phones

Lord Cromwell: To ask His Majesty's Government how manybids were received for the UK Emergency Alert System.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The original bidding process for suppliers to deliver the UK Emergency Alert system was handled by the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) during 2020 and 2021. Therefore the UK Government was not privy to the number of bids each of the MNOs received.For the contract publicly listed on Contract Finder[1] signed by Government Digital Service, two bids were received and Fujitsu was the winning bidder.[1] https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/6e9669c8-6908-47ff-bac6-d83f8670403b?origin=SearchResults&p=1

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Antimicrobials: Animal Feed

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what lessons they have learnt from the former widespread use of anti-microbial peptides, such as colistin, in animal feed; andwhether they are taking steps to warn other countries against the continued use of these drugs.

Lord Benyon: The UK Government has been working with farming stakeholders domestically and internationally for many years to reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics in food producing animals, including reducing the use of highest priority critically important antibiotics such as Colistin. To date our national sales of veterinary antibiotics have reduced by 55% since 2014, and in 2021 we recorded the lowest antibiotic use yet. Colistin is now one of the least used antibiotics in animals in the UK. The latest UK Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance and Sales Surveillance Report showed there was zero Colistin sold in 2021. The UK Government is committed to working with global partners to improve standards on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antibiotic stewardship for example through participation in the Codex Alimentarius AMR Task Force revision of the “Code of Practice to Minimize and Contain Foodborne Antimicrobial Resistance”, by advocating for best practice in multilateral forums and by promoting global ‘one health’ action on AMR through our commitments under the UK National Action Plan for AMR 2019-24.

Home Office

Slavery: Victims

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Minister of State(Minister for Immigration) at the Home Office on (1) 28 March (HC Deb col 961), and (2) 29 March (HC Deb col 308WH), what evidence they are using for the abuse of the modern slavery system.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: On 7 March 2023 the Government published research and analysis on modern slavery referrals for people detained for return after arriving in the UK on small boats. That report can be found at: Modern slavery referrals for people detained for return after arriving in the UK on small boats - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Home Office reports also show that NRM referrals from detention and prison have increased. In 2020, 27% (1,005) of people detained within the UK following immigration offences were referred as potential victims of modern slavery.Almost everyone referred from detention into the NRM was subsequently released from detention (99.5%, for detentions between Jan 2019 and Sep 2022).The NRM referral rate for people arriving in the UK on small boats and being detained for return has risen from 6% (50) of detentions ending in 2019 to 73% (294) in 2021.It is right that the Government has a proactive approach to addressing instances in which the system is not being used as intended.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Railways: Cultural Heritage

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to theheritage railway sector to boost tourism and the enjoyment of railway heritage.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The UK is a true pioneer in the history of railway development, benefiting from the talents of Brunel and Stephenson among many others.Heritage railways are major contributors to the UK’s visitor economy, attracting around 13 million visitors and bringing an estimated £250 million to the economy each year. More than 3,000 people are employed on heritage railways, with a further 22,000 volunteers generously committing their time and expertise.The unprecedented Cultural Recovery Fund provided approximately £18 million to heritage railway related organisations during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping them to reopen safely and continue to welcome visitors. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is also currently undertaking the Local Visitor Economy Partnership accreditation process which will benefit heritage railways by ensuring that local tourist boards work together to boost the visitor economy across the country.I have had a number of meetings with the Heritage Rail Association and other representatives of the sector, and keep in contact with them to discuss how else the Government can support it.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Derelict Land

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent estimate they have made of theamount of brownfield land that is available for building homes at present where planning permission has been approved but no building has taken place.

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they aretaking to ensure brownfield, rather than greenfield, sites are used for house building.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given to PQ 129970 on 31 January 2023.This information is not held by the Department. However, the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, which is currently going through the legislative process, contains a number of provisions which, if agreed by Parliament, will offer additional powers to encourage developers to build out more quickly. We recently consulted on changes to national planning policy which included proposals to publish data on developers of sites over a certain size in cases where they fail to build out according to their commitments. We also intend to consult on proposals to introduce a financial penalty against developers who are building out too slowly.UIN 129970 (pdf, 88.8KB)

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Baroness Deech: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the written answer byBaroness Scott of Bybrook on 21 April (HL6913) relating to the UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, whether they will set out the measurement in square metres of each of the items (a) to (g) in item 9 of the table included in that answer.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The measurements for the items in 9) are: Area to be enclosed to ensure the security of the Centre 1412 m2Of which….  Entrance pavilion113 m2 Courtyard and ramp into the Learning Centre1058 m2 Associated hard standing48 m2 Service access4 m2 Access paths53 m2 The parts of the mound not accessible to the public (fins and ha-ha)153 m2Service elements of café building 17 m2   Total surface area to be occupied by Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre 1429 m2

Business Improvement Districts

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government how much revenue was raised in Business Improvement District levies in each of the past five years.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) have a significant role to play in the regeneration of high streets and towns across England. British BIDs publish a report each year on its annual survey on BIDs in Great Britain. These survey results are publicly available.Surveys by British BIDs for the last five years indicate that BID levy income raised was as follows:YearBID levy income raised in Great Britain2022£144,735,6692021£134,979,9832020£132,493,2862019£125,205,6082018£110,575,380 Survey results (pdf, 273.3KB)

Affordable Housing: Rural Areas

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking toencourage more affordable homes to be built in remote and rural areas.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The National Planning Policy Framework already makes clear that planning policies and decisions should be responsive to local circumstances in rural areas. Our Rural Exception Sites policy allows for the development of small affordable housing sites in rural areas, with the majority of housing on these sites being available to local people in perpetuity, and we published planning practice guidance in 2020 to help local authorities and developers bring more of these sites forward.As part of our recent consultation on a new National Planning Policy, we sought views on how we could strengthen the role of community groups in delivering affordable housing, particularly in rural areas. We are reviewing the responses and will issue a government response in due course.

Treasury

Child Trust Fund

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that the Child Trust Fund payments for children born between 1 September 2022 and 2 January 2011 are taken up in full.

Baroness Penn: The government is committed to helping people access the savings and money they are entitled to and continues to explore new routes to reunite young people with their Child Trust Funds. While primary responsibility for communicating with account holders and their registered contact lies with Child Trust Fund (CTF) providers, HMRC works closely with providers, the wider industry and the Money and Pensions Service to ensure that young people are aware of, and can access, their CTFs. This includes requiring CTF providers to write to their customers to inform them of their options in their 17th year and to provide statements annually after the account holder turns 18. HMRC also issues a range of communications through regular press releases, social media posts and by providing resources for key intermediaries who have greater influence and visibility amongst the CTF audience. The government’s current plans will reunite the vast majority of accounts with their owners, but there may be some cases where further action will be required. The government will monitor how many accounts remain open and judge when it is appropriate to intervene in other ways.